Today, hundreds flock to Cheesman Park to relax and exercise but Cheesman was not always a park. At one time it used to be a cemetery and, much like the move Poltergeist, the tombstones were removed but the bodies remain. This presentation documents the transformation of Cheesman from cemetery to park.

1. The Dark History of
Cheesman Park
By Amanda H. King

2. Since the late 1800‟s, the area of Cheesman Park has been a place for the
citizens of Denver to come and relax in peace. Its sprawling lawns and
elegant pavilion act as a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of Colfax Avenue
and the surrounding city. But, as visitors to the park sun themselves on the
grassy knoll, many of them are blissfully unaware of what lies beneath the
well manicured grass.

3. Today, Cheesman Park
has many uses. Some
people come here to
exercise, play frisbee or
tan themselves under a
Denver sun. It is not
uncommon to see dogs
playing fetch with their
owners or chasing
squirrels. On the surface,
Cheesman Park is an
ideal escape from the
stresses of everyday life.
But this land has taken many forms in the past and the history of what
Cheesman Park used to be is not widely known. There are no plaques to
commemorate what was here before and, when mention of the past does
surface, it is usually in the form of urban legend or myth. Many of the stories
that have been told about this land seem almost too extraordinary to be true.
However, as far fetched as many of these stories appear, they are closer to the
truth than some may realize.

4. Prior to 1860, the land that is now
known as Cheesman Park acted as
an Arapaho Indian burial ground. It is
unlikely, however, that the Arapaho
Indians would have buried their dead
in the soil. Like most Indians of the
plains, they would have built
scaffolds to honor their dead. While
most „scaffold burials‟ actually took
place in trees, the plains Indians built
teepee structures in which they
would place their loved ones who
were usually wrapped in buffalo
hides to protect against the
elements. According to tradition, the
wrapping of the body was performed
by the women of the tribe and food
and water were often included at the
burial site for the soul of the
deceased to have enough food and
drink for their journey. “The Plains Indians and certain Indians of the Pacific Northwest
commonly practiced above-ground burials using trees, scaffolds,
canoes, and boxes on stilts, which decayed over time.” – National
Park Service

5. On November 18, 1858, an eighteen
year old William Larimer and his
father arrived at the Auraria
settlement in St. Charles (Denver
was originally known as St. Charles
until Larimer claimed the town site
across Cherry Creek and named it
Denver City). As Denver‟s founder,
young William Larimer wanted to
ensure the city‟s longevity by
including a cemetery in his plans to
build the community. He knew that
every prominent city in America was
in possession of a quality park
cemetery and by building a fine
cemetery, Denver might be
considered a prominent city as well.
Despite the fact that the Arapaho
Indians had been using that land for
years, Larimer claimed the area to
build Mount Prospect Cemetery in
“We knew it was a healthy country; nevertheless there was likely to be a
1859.
death now and then…So Father and I had slipped away by ourselves one
day and staked one off on the hill along the road up Cherry Creek.” –
William Larimer

6. In the nineteenth century, cemeteries were not only resting places for the dead,
but for the living as well. Known as “breathing spaces,” cemeteries acted as
parks were one could stroll peacefully among the trees and greenery. Cities
were often judged by the quality of their cemetery and William Larimer wanted
Mount Prospect Cemetery to reflect the beauty of the “Queen City of the Plains.”
He acquired 160 acres of land for Mount Prospect Cemetery and, in 1860, the
first burial took place. By the 1870‟s, the cemetery was sectioned off into
different areas to reflect the diverse group of people residing in Denver. The
Catholic and Jewish sections of the cemetery were laid out where the Botanic
Gardens stand today. There were sections for distinct organizations such as the
Masons and Odd Fellows and there was also a small portion of the cemetery
dedicated for the use of Chinese burials. A good portion of the cemetery,
however, contained the prostitutes, vagabonds and criminals of Denver.

8. Over time, the cemetery fell into disuse.
Tombstones cracked and crumbled due
to neglect and weeds soon became the
dominant feature. Wildlife was often
seen running rampant on the cemetery
grounds and within the span of only 30
years, the graveyard became an
eyesore and an embarrassment to the
city of Denver. The new Riverside and
Fairmount cemeteries were flourishing
and many of Denver‟s most prominent
citizens chose to be interred in these
more modern and well cared for
facilities rather than the deteriorated
Mount Prospect cemetery. The future of
Mount Prospect cemetery would soon
lay in the hands of Denver‟s most
influential Mayor, Robert Speer.

9. Mayor Robert Speer
Since 1901, Speer had been promoting the
need for parks and parkways in Denver.
While working as president of the Board of
Public Works, he encouraged the
preservation of Denver‟s limited water
sources by beautifying Cherry Creek. The
Creek went from being a “sandy and
miserable waste” to a sparkling waterway
lined with trees and shrubbery. A boulevard
was built alongside it and in Speer‟s honor,
the City Council renamed Cherry Creek Drive
as Speer Boulevard in 1910. Speer ordered
the removal of all “Keep off the grass” signs
because he felt as though people deserved to
enjoy what little green space Denver had to
offer. Being without children of his own, he
also took a special interest in the children of
Denver. Playgrounds were a priority and
“The Mayoral post looked tailor-made for Robert Speer, who first
ran for that office in 1904. He won with the support of an
Speer even supervised the placement of the
estimated 10,000 fraudulent votes. Such ugly means to a City
Beautiful would make Speer the most criticized, as well as the
beautiful Children‟s Fountain in City Park.
most praised, of all Denver mayors.” – Dr. Thomas Noel (AKA Dr.
Colorado)

10. Prior to becoming Mayor of
Denver, Robert Speer visited
the 1893 World‟s Columbian
Exposition in Chicago. The fair
was not only a celebration of
the 400th anniversary of
Columbus‟ voyages but it was
also a blueprint for modern
America. Speer became
inspired by many of the
attractions there, especially
The White City. The World‟s Columbian Exposition Arch, as shown in 1893, was an entrance into the
fair. It also shares many of the same characteristics as the Cheesman Memorial
Pavilion.
The White City, a collection of buildings in neoclassical style architecture, was
erected at the Exposition by Daniel Hudson Burnham, founder of the City Beautiful
Movement. The idea behind the City Beautiful Movement was to beautify cities
across America and, in doing so, the citizens of those cities might become beautiful
as well. It was an attempt at social reform during a time when prostitution and crime
were products of overcrowded settlement houses and polluted streets.

11. Close-up pictures of the Walter
Cheesman Memorial Pavilion at
Cheesman Park show the neoclassical
architecture that is indicative of buildings
erected during the City Beautiful
Movement.

12. According to Dr. Thomas Noel, Professor
of History and Director of the Public
History and Preservation Program at the
University of Colorado Denver, Robert
Speer developed a four stage plan for
transforming Denver into a City Beautiful.
 Start with the heart of the city - Speer
organized the construction of Civic Center Park.
Surrounding government buildings and cultural
institutions would serve as the heart of the city.
Develop a series of parkways and
boulevards - Radiating outward from Civic
Center Park, these would provide both
transportation and open space.
Build Neighborhood Parks - These were
constructed with the intention to bring the
community together.
Mountain Park Development – Made the
“On evenings and on Sunday mornings, Speer could be found in his
office studying plans and reports on city beautification. The first step
mountains available to the people.
was a city functional.” – Dr. Thomas Noel.

13. Denver, A City
Not So Beautiful?
Upon becoming Mayor of Denver,
Speer immediately set his sights on
beautifying Denver. He improved
the city‟s primitive transportation
system by installing cable cars.
Public baths were built around
Denver to improve hygiene and, in
order to better promote the
temperance movement, drinking
fountains were strategically located
around town to entice people to
drink water instead of alcohol.
Most importantly, Mayor Speer focused his efforts on parks and gardens. After
hearing complaints from residents living near the now dilapidated cemetery, Mayor
Speer was determined to turn the area into a beautiful park befitting the elegant and
prosperous city that Denver was in the process of becoming. Notices were sent out
to family members of those buried at the cemetery advising them to move their loved
ones elsewhere. While some family members were quick to remove the bodies of
their loved ones (especially the Chinese), there were still plenty of bodies left in the
ground that needed to be moved before a park could be built.

14. E.P. McGovern: Undertaker
Edward P. McGovern was hired by the city
of Denver to relocate the remaining bodies.
He was to be paid $1.90 for every casket
he moved to Denver‟s surrounding
cemeteries. In an attempt to profit more
from the macabre task of digging up
corpses, McGovern ordered the use of
small, child sized caskets and instructed his
workers to hack a single body into several
pieces – each part being placed in its own
casket. By separating a single body into
many caskets, McGovern was making
triple, sometimes quadruple the amount he
would normally receive. There were even
reports that McGovern and his workers
filled empty caskets with soil and rocks to
give the appearance of it being full.

15. As entertainment was scarce in these
days, people flocked to the cemetery by
the hundreds to witness the exhumation
of the bodies on Capitol Hill. It would not
be long before rumors began to spread
about McGovern‟s unsavory business
practices. When word reached area
newspapers, outrage ensued. An issue of
The Denver Republican reported in
horrifying detail the scene of scattered
bones and parts laying haphazardly on
cemetery grounds. Reports of
McGovern‟s workers stealing jewelry from
many of the bodies sickened citizens and
government officials alike. McGovern and
his men were promptly dismissed from
their jobs and the city issued a statement
to family members that if they did not
remove their loved ones who still
remained in the cemetery within ninety
days, the bodies would be doomed to
remain there while the park was built over
them.

16. For several years after the
McGovern scandal, the cemetery
lay dormant. The city of Denver ran
out of funds for the transformation
of the cemetery into a park and
fences were built around the area
to keep people from falling through
half dug holes. The erection of a
fence did not, however, deter
children from playing within
cemetery grounds. As this picture
shows, neighborhood children
often climbed on toppling
tombstones and played hide-and-
seek within the confines of the now
defunct cemetery.

17. “Give While You Live”
Work on the cemetery resumed in the
early 1900‟s. Holes where graves had
been were filled in and grass was put on
top of graves that still remained. Speer
was particularly influential in appealing to
private citizens to “Give while you live” in
order to fund the construction of the Park.
To generate money for a pavilion to be
erected on the grounds, Mayor Speer put
the park up for sale. The highest bidder
would have the park named in their honor
and the money collected would go directly
towards the construction of the new
pavilion. Walter Cheesman, known across
Denver as a corrupt business man, had
recently passed away and, in 1907, his
widow gave Speer $100,000 for the
pavilion to be built in his name. This
generous donation was an attempt to
improve Walter Cheesman‟s reputation
posthumously.

18. Although it has been over a hundred years
since the cemetery began its
transformation into a park, bones are still
being discovered in the surrounding area.
In November 2008, work began on the
new parking structure for the Denver
Botanic Gardens. Construction workers
were well aware what they might find
when they started to dig the foundation as
this land once belonged to the Hebrew
section of the cemetery. They were not
surprised when they uncovered bones and
casket fragments in the soil. As many as
fifty bones along with several caskets
were discovered and work on the parking
garage was suspended until all bodies
were removed and relocated to Denver‟s
Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
“We did find bones at the site – multiple caskets were found,
many of which were empty. Some had a few bones in them,
some more than a few, and some bones were found in the
soil.” – Michelle Weiss-Samaras, Denver chief deputy
coroner

19. But is Cheesman Park Haunted?
There is no way to say for certain whether or not Cheesman Park is haunted.
There have been reports of people feeling “cold spots” or hearing noises such
as crying or moans. There has even been a picture taken at Cheesman that
shows a possible apparition. However, these things can all be explained.

20. Meet Bryan Bonner and Matthew Baxter!
According to Bryan Bonner, founder of the Rocky Mountain Paranormal
Research Society and his partner, Matthew Baxter, there are no tools that are
capable of detecting ghosts – only tools to document the presence of
paranormal activity versus normal conditions. Items such as digital cameras,
digital recorders, electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors and hand-held video
devices are all typical tools of the trade for many ghost hunters. However,
these tools are not without their faults.

21. One popular instrument used by ghost hunters
is the EMF detector. Some theories suggest
that a ghost will either disrupt a magnetic field
or emit their own form of magnetic energy
causing the detector to go off. However, Bryan
Bonner explains that this type of device is only
capable of detecting “man made energy.” If it is
pointed towards a living being, it will not go off
so it does not make sense that it would go off
when pointed towards an entity.
Bryan and Baxter further explain that in cases
where there are high electromagnetic fields,
there can be certain side effects on the human
body that may produce hallucinations (both
visual and auditory), feelings of paranoia and a
general sense of uneasiness. These side
effects are often misinterpreted as paranormal
activity.

22. Digital cameras are also
popular with most ghost
hunters. Many people
claim that they have
pictures of paranormal
activity taken by their
digital cameras. Most of
these pictures include orbs,
streaks of light known as
ectoplasm or even full body
apparitions. But are these
pictures proof of
paranormal activity?
Bryan Bonner explains that much of the phenomena caught by digital cameras
can be logically explained. For instance, orb activity in an indoor environment is
most likely attributed to dust while orb activity in an outdoor environment can be
caused by moisture droplets such as mist, rain or snow particles. Sometimes
cigarette smoke or condensation from ones breath is caught by digital cameras
giving the illusion of a ghostly presence.

23. Our Brain‟s Reaction
Do you see a face in this old photograph?

24. Look Again!
Once the photograph has been colorized, we can see that the face is actually
a baby sitting with her family. Bryan and Baxter explain that our brain is
constantly looking for human faces in objects. It is a psychological
phenomenon known as “pareidolia.” As human beings, we are conditioned to
not only see faces in objects and pictures but our brain also tricks our ears
into hearing voices or sounds that may not be there.

25. Some examples of pareidolia.

26. Look closely at this
picture. What do you see?
This picture was taken at Cheesman Park at night. The person who took this picture
claims that it is an apparition of a man, possibly a disturbed spirit from the days
when McGovern was digging up corpses. There seems to also be some orb activity
in the picture as well. Could this be a ghost or just the effects of pareidolia and dust?

27. What do visitors of the park have to say about
all of this?
Who me?

28. Nadine and Walt
“We come to the park almost everyday,
sometimes more than once a day. Mostly
we come because our dogs like it here
so much. We heard that this place used
to be a cemetery a long time ago and
that they dug up some bodies but left a
lot of them here. The fact that there are
still bodies here doesn‟t bother us nearly
as much as the all the homeless people
that are here. But no matter what, we
always come back. We always will.”

29. Caitlin
“Hmmmm….I probably come
here about four times a week. I
spend a lot of time here
because I live so close. I
usually come to exercise but
sometimes I come just to relax
and read a book. It‟s very
peaceful and quiet here. It
feels like home and it‟s very
comforting. I always feel more
calm and grounded after
spending time here. The only
thing that scares me about the
park is that I heard there are
men hiding in the trees at
night. I would probably be
more scared of them then the
ghosts”!

30. “Treetop”
“Oh, I come here everyday! It‟s a habit really. Besides, I don‟t really have
anywhere else to go. I feel happy while I‟m here except for when the cops come
and hang out. I don‟t like them. They are always trying to get you in trouble for
something. Especially for drinking – they don‟t like drinking in the park. I did hear
that this place used to be an old Indian burial ground and that there is a lady in
white who has been seen in the park at night. I don‟t mind. That kind of stuff
doesn‟t bother a guy like me. I keep coming back don‟t I?”

31. Angela and Jason
We come here about once a
week. Twice a week in the
Summer. It‟s a nice place to sit
and stare at the mountains and
we like that it‟s part of the gay
community. It‟s so peaceful and
relaxing here. Are we scared
here? No way! We think the
history of the park gives it
character. If anything, the fact
that it‟s haunted would make us
want to come back even more”!
“It would take a lot for us not to come back. Yeah the drug dealers and homeless
guys make us a little uncomfortable sometimes but as long as we don‟t come here
late at night we‟re cool. We haven‟t noticed anything paranormal here but
sometimes when it rains you‟ll see it rain all around the park but never in it. I guess
that‟s sort of weird.”

32. Richard
“I play a little guitar”
“Let‟s see….I come here maybe
three or four times a week
because I work with mentally
disabled men and I take them
here sometimes. I think this is a
happy place. I guess I‟ve heard
stories of Cheesman being
haunted but I don‟t believe any
of them. Even if they were true
it wouldn‟t affect me coming
here or not. This is a great park.
I mean, look around you. It‟s
beautiful.”

33. Although Cheesman Park has a dark history, that does not seem to deter the
hundreds of people who visit here on a daily basis. This land started out as a
resting place and continues to be so today. It‟s peace and tranquility is unrivaled
and it exudes beauty in so many ways. Perhaps the best way one can honor this
land is by spending time here and remembering its history.

34. Bibliography
Goodstein, Phil. The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill. Denver: New Social
Publications, 1996
Josephy, Alvin M. Jr. The Indian Heritage of America. New York: Houghton
Mifflin Company, 1991.
Larimer, W.H.H. Reminiscences of General William Larimer and of his
son…compiled by Herman S. Davis. Lancaster, PA.: privately
printed, 1918.
Noel, Thomas J., and Barbara S. Norgren. Denver: The City Beautiful and its
Architects 1893-1941. Denver: Historic Denver Inc., 1987.
Peterson, Bernice E. Cemetery to Conservatory: A History of the Land Around
Denver Botanic Gardens 1859-1978. Denver: Denver Botanic
Gardens Inc., 1980.
National Park Service: www.nps.org
Denver Republican, Issues for March 1893.
Denver Post, Issues for November 2008
Historic Photos courtesy of the Denver Public Library; Western History
Collection.
Special Thanks to Dr. Thomas Noel, Bryan Bonner and Matthew Baxter for
contributing their expertise to this project.